Cedar Porch Homestead

Cedar Porch Homestead **Family owned and operated regenerative homestead focused on healthy soil, pastured livestock, and wholesome food for our table. See us in action on YouTube!**

Formerly Metcalfe Family Farm, we loved our time on the farm, but in May 2018, the Big Guy led us to sell and move into town. We landed on a half-acre lot with space for our home, a shop, and our business, Metcalfe Design Co., LLC. At the time, we thought we’d left farming behind… but God had other plans. Prompted to reconnect with our roots and take control of where our food comes from, we starte

d a backyard homestead. Now, we’re raising pastured eggs, chickens, quail, rabbits, and pigs, growing a garden, and even building a 50-acre regenerative agriculture property from scratch—expanding our mission to steward land, grow healthy food, and live intentionally. Follow along for faith-led homesteading, successes, lessons learned, and a little fun along the way—because farming isn’t just a job, it’s a lifestyle!

09/01/2026

**We might need to put an asterisk next to “blind” when we talk about Mur. 👀🐮❤️**

Something has changed.

While we were walking by filming Mur, we noticed her starting to **track us with her head and eyes.**

And then we noticed something else...

That white, calcified-looking part of her eyes appears to be **fading and clearing up a little bit.**

Could she actually be starting to regain some vision?

We don’t know yet.

And maybe we’re just being overly hopeful because we desperately want this little girl to have the best life possible.

But when you’ve watched what Mur has been through, seeing even the possibility of her eyes clearing up is HUGE.

She’s still dealing with a lot, but she’s getting stronger, she’s getting around better, and now we’re starting to wonder if she might be seeing a little bit more of the world around her.

And of course...

It’s feeding time. 😂

So whether she can see us or not, she definitely knows when the bottle is coming!

We’re going to keep watching her closely and keep giving her everything we’ve got.

**Maybe—just maybe—Mur is getting her sight back.** ❤️🐮

We’ll keep you guys updated.

08/30/2026

**This is what regenerative agriculture looks like. 🌱🌧️**

Regenerative agriculture is about making the most of what nature gives you instead of constantly fighting against it.

That’s why we have rain collection systems on our chicken coops.

Normally, Ashlynn has to haul **five gallons buckets of water every day** to fill the rain barrel that supplies the automatic chicken waterer.

But after a couple of nice little rainstorms over the last few days...

**She hasn’t had to haul a single bucket.** 😂

The rain filled the barrel for us, and now our chickens have water waiting for them.

It’s a simple system, but that’s the point.

Catch the rain.

Store it.

Put it to work.

And let nature do some of the heavy lifting.

**That’s how we make the most of what we already have.** 🌧️🌱🐔

08/29/2026

**I think I messed up again. 😂🚜**

I put my daughter in charge of shredding the pasture.

I thought I was giving her a job.

Turns out...

**I was giving away my tractor.** 😂

Now she’s out here running the tractor, shredding pasture, having a good time...

And apparently **I’M not allowed to play anymore.** 🤦‍♂️😂

I guess this is another one of those unintended consequences of teaching your kids how to work.

First she takes over the farm...

Now she’s taking my tractor.

**Where did I go wrong?!** 😂

08/29/2026

**MUR IS OFFICIALLY HOME! 🐮❤️🌱**

After all the blood, sweat, tears, storms, 104° heat, and apparently a little more eyebrow than I intended to donate... 😂

Our little blind calf is officially moved into her new **”mobile fixed” pen** out on pasture!

The whole idea was to give Mur a consistent environment where she always knows where her water, hay, food, and shelter are while still allowing us to move her around the pasture and let her be part of our regenerative homestead.

And honestly...

**She already looks happier.**

Bailey gave her a bottle out on pasture, and seeing this little girl out in the grass instead of confined to a small pen makes every bit of the work worth it.

The butterfly bandage over my eyebrow?

Apparently the cut was a little bigger than I originally thought. 😂

But that’s alright.

**Blood, sweat, and tears are worth it for Mur.** ❤️🐮

This little girl has already taught us a whole lot about perseverance, adapting, and doing whatever it takes to give an animal a chance.

Welcome home, Mur. 🌱❤️

08/28/2026

**They say when you rush, that’s when accidents happen...**

Well, apparently they were talking about me. 😂

I spent today playing **leapfrog with a bunch of storms**, trying to get Mur’s new mobile cattle pen finished before the next round of rain rolled through.

I was rushing.

I was trying to beat the weather.

And then...

**Yep.**

An accident happened. 🤦‍♂️😂

Sometimes you already know the lesson before you learn it the hard way:

**Slow down. Pay attention. Don’t rush just because you’re trying to beat the storm.**

The good news is, I’m alright—and the mobile pen is still getting finished.

Just apparently not as quickly as I had planned. 😂

Unfortunately we will not be able to set up at the lakehoustonfarmersmarket this Saturday 8-29. With the extreme heat o...
08/27/2026

Unfortunately we will not be able to set up at the lakehoustonfarmersmarket this Saturday 8-29. With the extreme heat our ladies out on pasture have boycotted laying as many eggs as they normally do. We will be fully stocked and ready though for the following Saturday.

08/27/2026

**How do you raise a blind calf on a regenerative homestead?** 🐮🌱

That’s the question we’ve been trying to solve with Mur.

Because she can’t see, she needs consistency. Her water needs to be in the same place. Her food needs to be in the same place. Her hay, shelter, and surroundings all need to stay familiar so she can learn her environment and navigate it safely.

But there’s one problem...

**We don’t want her stuck in a permanent pen.**

On a regenerative homestead, our animals are part of the system. We want them out on pasture, grazing grass, pruning the forage, and leaving their manure behind to feed the soil.

So we’re building Mur a **mobile fixed pen.**

Her environment stays familiar and predictable, but we can move her across the pasture and let her still be part of our regenerative grazing system. 🌱🐮

Of course, this was supposed to be a **one-day build.**

I’m now thinking two or three days. 😂

And after working in **104° East Texas heat** and changing clothes for the third time today...

That’s not a complaint.

Just a fact. 😂🥵

But Mur is worth it.

We’re going to figure this out. ❤️🐮

08/26/2026

**Two weeks old... and Mur is getting stronger every day. 🐮❤️**

After everything this little girl has been through, seeing these small improvements means so much to us.

She’s drinking more milk, getting around easier, and becoming more comfortable navigating her surroundings.

We’re also getting ready to move her out of her current pen in the next couple of days. We’ve added hay to help keep her cleaner and drier, which also makes it easier for Bailey to keep her little baby clean and comfortable.

We’re still taking things one day at a time, but every day Mur gets a little stronger and a little more confident.

She’s got a long way to go, but we’re getting closer and closer to what we’ve been hoping for from the beginning:

**A happy, healthy blind calf who gets to live a really good life.** ❤️🐮

Keep fighting, Mur. We’re pretty proud of you.

08/25/2026

Of all the things Ashlynn expects to deal with on the farm...

**A sock on top of the chicken coop was NOT on the list.** 😂🧦🐔

We did have a little storm blow through, but I’m pretty sure a storm didn’t carry a sock onto the roof.

So now we’re left with the obvious question...

**Did a crow bring us a gift?** 🐦🧦

Or is there another explanation for this mystery?

Ashlynn wants to know what y’all think.

**Who put the sock on the chicken coop?!** 😂

Drop your theories in the comments because we’re going to need some answers.

08/21/2026

I feel completely safe walking through the pasture when my **bodyguards** stick this close. 😂🐕

I’ve got two Great Pyrenees following me around like I’m some kind of VIP.

Nothing is going to mess with me as long as these two are on duty. 😂

Honestly, they make me feel **way more important than I actually am.** 🤣

Every farm needs a good security detail.

Mine just happens to weigh several hundred pounds combined and have absolutely no concept of personal space. 😂🐕🐕

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Wharton, TX
77351

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